Sleeping-bag.



E. H. FITCH.

SLEEPING BAG.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 28. 190B.

Patented Jan.31, 1911.

3 BHEETS-BHEET 1.

6: 4 Inventor Attorney Witnesses E. H. FITCH.

SLEEPING BAG.

APPLICATION FILED 11017.28. 1908.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

l E. H. FITCH.

Patented Jan.31,1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EZRA. H. FITCH, OF MONTCLAIR, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOB TO ABERCROEBIE AND FITCH 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SLEEPING-BAG Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 31, 1911.

- Application filed November 28, 1908. Serial No. 464,998.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EZRA H. FITCH, a citizen of theUnited States, residin at Montclair, county of Essex, State-of ew J ersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Sleeping-:Bags;and I do hereby'declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to im rovements in sleeping bags for the use 0 campers, explorers or sportsmen, or for sleeping in the open air. 1

My object is to produce a sleeping bag which may be readily assembled and taken apart for sanitary purposes.

A further object is 'to .producesuch an article the parts of which will be so secured together that they will not roll or bunch together on account of the movements of the occupant.

A further object is to produce a sleeping bag all parts of which Wlll be so formed as to make the structure perfectly wind tight.

A further object is to provide means for securing the ba to the ground.

These and urther objects will appear from an examination of the following specification and accompanying drawings taken together or separately.

In the drawings the same reference char acters refer to corresponding parts in all of the figures and in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sleeping bag embodying my invention with the storm hood and apron in position; Fig. 2 is a similar view of the bag with the storm hood and apron thrown back; Fig. 2* is an enlarged detail view of the manner of securing the blanket bags together and to the casing; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the casing showing the blanket bags in position; Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of the bag as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the upper part of the outerblanket bag; Figs. 8 and 9 are detail views of the outer and inner sides of the bottom of the upper part of the center blanket bag, and Fig. 10 is a similar view of the inner blanket bag. Fig 11 is a sectional detail, I

In the drawings I have shown a sleeping bag consisting o a casing a and a plurality (preferably three) blanket bags I), c, and d.

Each of the bags I), c, and d is com osed of a pair of blankets folded on themse ves and stitched along one end and along one side as far as the point e, the other end of the bag proper and the side from the point e are left open to permit a ready means of ingress. Alongthe head of each bagtwo of its parts are secured together b and at the point e the fbur sides of each bag are fastened together by means of eyelets 2. Each of the bags I), c, and d is provided with tapes 3 at several points on its outside edge and each of the-bags b, and c is provided with tapes 4 at corresponding points on its inside. These are for the purpose of securing the bags together and to the casing in a manner presently to be specified.

The casing a is composed of bottom, side, and end members of tough, heavy waterproof material, made in box or mattress form and the material is of such a thickness that the side and end members will standand take the weight of the casing off the occupant. The edges. of the material composing the casin are securely stitched together and tape as shown, with a tough, waterproof tape. The top 5 of the casing ma be composed of a much lighter materia to save weight, as the top is not subjected to the same rough usage as the other parts of the casing, but is merely to protect the blankets from dirt and moisture. The top 5 is formed of a light, waterproof material turned over the top edge of the heavier stuff of the casing and securely stitched thereto to the points f-f, thence the cover is loose, forming a flap or apron 5 with its sides depending over the sides of the head of the casing. The depending portions 6 of the apron are provided with snap-buttons 7 which may engage with knobs 8 on the sides of the casing thus securely closing the head portion of the casing when desired. Secured to the head of the casing is a storm cover or hood 9 composed of two curved side pieces 10 and top piece 11. The side. pieces extend downward alongside the head of the casing and each is provided with a snaphook 12 for engagement with a ring 13 securely fastened to the lower part of the sides of the casing.- The corners of the casing are provided with strong loops 14 throughwhich stakes may be driven for the purpose of fastening the bag to the ground. The inside of the casing a is provided with tapes means of eyelets 1, g

15 at points corresponding to the tapes 3 of the blanket bags, and at points corresponding to the eyelets 1, 1, 1 and 2 is provided with thon s 16 which are preferably ordinary shoe aces.

Ordinarily when the sleeping bag is in use the apron 5 and hood 9 are thrown back exposing the entrance of the bag, but in inclement weather the apron 5 is drawn up as far as desired and buttoned along one side; the user now enters the bag and buttons the other side of the apron to the casing and draws the hood 9 over his head and fastens it to the casing by means of the snap hooks 12 and rin s 13. The occupant is now completely shiel ed from the elements, ventilation being had through the opening between the lower edge of the hood and the apron.

For the purpose of facilitating the proper assembling of the blanket bags, that part of the head of each individual blanket bag:

which is fastened together with the eyelets, 1, l, 1 is provided with an identification means. In the present embodiment of my invention the bag I) is stamped with the letter B, the bag 0 with the letter B on one s ide and A on the other, and the bag d with the letter A.

When it is desired to take the bag apart for airing etc., the operation is as follows: Throw the apron 5" and hood 9 back, then reach inside the casing but outside the outermost blanket bag and grasp the tapes at the foot of the casing and turn the casing inside out, this will bring the blanket bags on the outside of the casing, then unt-ie the tapes 3 and 15 which hold the bag 6 and casing together, and unfasten the thongs 16 by which the three bags are fastened to the casing, then reach inside the bag I) but outside the bag 0 and grasp the tapes which secure the feet of the two bags together and turn the bag I) inside out. Untie the tapes which secure the two bags together. Next reach inside the bag 0 but outside the bag (1, grasp the tapes at the foot, reverse the bag a and unfasten the tapes by which the two bags are tied together. The bag 'is now disassembled and all its parts are turned inside out so that the parts may be perfectly aired or cleaned.

To put the bag together the reverse of the A above will be followed. Spread the bag d on the ground with its bottom, 2'. 6., that portion which is held together by the eyelets 1, uppermost with the letter A showing, then spread the bag a on top of the bag d with its letter A resting on the A of bag (Z, tie the tapes of the two bags together, reach inside the bag 0, grasp its foot and turn 0 inside out when its letter B will appear on top. Spread the bag 6 on top of bag 0 with its letter B next the B on bag 0, tie the bags together by the tapes, reach inside bag 6,

grasp its foot and reverse the bag, this will bring the bags intoproper position with (Z inside, a 'next and b outside. Now spread the bags out on the reversed casing with the eyelets 1 and 2 over the thongs 16, pass an end of each thong through its eyelet and knot the thongs, tie the tapes 3 of the bag I) to the tapes 15 of the casing, then reach inside the casing and grasp the loops let at its foot, reverse the casing and the bag is ready for use.

The bags I), 0, and d being firmly secured together and to the casing, there will be no tendency for the blankets to become bunched or rolled together because of the movements of the occupant. The casing being stitched together everywhere except at the head opening and the bags being also stitched except at the same point, the structure will be perfectly wind and'water proof which is not-the case where the blankets and easing are laced together and to each other.

The bag may be used with any number of thicknesses of blankets, from one to six over blanket bags may be used according to the.

severity of the weather.

While I have shown the bags as composed of blankets, it will be understood that quilts or other forms of covering may be used, and my improved blanket bags may be used with other forms of easing or without a casing.

The underside of the casing is provided, at several points, with strong tapes 17 which carry eyelets 18 for the purpose of attaching the sleeping bag to a pneumatic mattress 19 if desired. The tapes 17 are secured to the underside of the casing at one of their edges only as shown in Fig. 11, so that the knobs 20 on the mattress may be readily engaged with or disengaged from the eyelets 18.

The sleeping bag may rest on a bed of boughs, as is common, on a pneumatic mattress, or it may have secured to its underside an additional thickness of canvas or other material if desired.

Having now described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In an article of the class described, the v, combination with a casing and securing means within the casing, of a plurality of blanket bags within the casing, each being provided with a securing means on its outdetachably secured to the inside of the easing by means accessible from the inside of the casing only.

3. In an article of the class described, the combination with a casing, of a plurality of blanketbags therein, the outermost blanket bag being secured to the inside of the casing by means accessible from the inside of the casing only and the innermost bag being secured to the inside-of the next outer blanket bag by means accessible from the inside of the outer blanket bag only.

4. In an article of the class described, the combination with a casing, of a plurality of blanket bags therein, the outermost blanket bag being adjustably secured to the inside of the casing by means accessible from the inside of the casing only and the innermost bag being adjustably secured to the inside of the next outer blanket bag by means accessible from the inside of the outer blanket bag only.

5. In an article of the class described, the combination with a casing of a plurality of nested blanket bags secured within the easing in such a manner as to afford access to the securing means from the inside of the casing only.

6. In an article of the class described, the

combination With a casing of a plurality of nested blanket: bags secured to and Within the casing and to each other in such a manner as to afford access to the securing means between the casing and outermost blanket bag from the inside of the casing only and to the securing means between blanket bags from the inside of each outer bag only. 7. In an article of the class described, the combination with a casing having securing: means on its inside, of a plurality of nested blanket bags Within the casing, each bag being provided with independent. securing means on its inside and on its outside, the first bag being fastened by means of its outside secnring means to the securing means in the casing and each succeeding bag being fastened by its outside securing means to the inside securing means of the next preceding bag.

This specification signed and witnessed this twenty third day of November, 1908.

EZRA H. FITCH.

Nitnesses HAnoLn H. WlLCOX, An'rl-mn It. Sln'i'rn. 

